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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite appliances: the electric pressure cooker. It is my favorite way to cook rice. I can even make risotto in this and I never have to stand over the stove pouring and stirring, pouring and stirring. I got this little baby at Target when they were clearing them out. I didn't know what a gem I was purchasing. I use it to cook meat, other grains, and vegetables. It also has a wonderful entertainment factor. There is a big gray button on top lets the steam out. My sons all love to push that button as it cools down. You can see some models here.

So, tonight The Comedian and The Engineer helped me make dinner. The Engineer fizzled out after we dredged the chicken in cornstarch. I think he was a little grossed out by the raw meat. The Comedian then took over and stayed with me all the way to serving the food. (with his ADHD, that is a huge thing!)

The recipe:

1 1/2 pounds cubed boneless chicken

3/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups oil

1 cup water

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 Tbls cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

onions, peppers, pineapple as desired

Dredge the chicken in the cornstarch and fry in the oil

For the sauce, mix the water, sugar, ketchup and vinegar in a saucepan. When it boils, add the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir until it thickens.

If you want to add the onions, peppers and/or pineapple, cook the onions and peppers first. Add it to the sauce or serve it on the side. Serve it all with rice.

We are back to school this week (YIPEE), so lunches won't be planned. Really, it wasn't a bad week. We all slept in until 6:30am, we explored the newly opened, wonderfully stocked, brand new library, we did chores, we read books, we played games, we watched movies and we relaxed. What more can we ask from a week off from school?